PAMSA Master’s in Chemical Engineering Bursary Programme
A unique opportunity to shape a sustainable future through science and innovation.
Are you a final-year BSc or BEng Chemical Engineering student – or a recent graduate – passionate about innovation, sustainability, and the circular bioeconomy?
Every year, the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA) calls for applications from BEng/BSc in chemical engineering final year students and graduates for its Master’s in Chemical Engineering bursary and research programme.
The programme covers two years of full time study at participating universities during which students will work on projects that include beneficiation of wood fibre, recycled fibre or process waste, and resource efficiency.
Participation in the PAMSA bursary programme also facilitates possible employment as an engineer-in-training at participating PAMSA member companies.
Why Apply?
- Financial support: R320,000 over two years for tuition and research.
- Hands-on research: Tackle real-world challenges in pulp, paper, and bio-based materials.
- Career launchpad: Join an industry rooted in renewable resources and circular thinking.
- Interviews will only be held with selected candidates. Terms and conditions apply.
Research Areas
- Waste valorisation and process innovation
- Energy and water efficiency
- Bioethanol and bioproducts from paper sludge
- Lignin extraction and applications in asphalt, fertilisers, and water purification
- And more
Participating Universities
- Stellenbosch University
- University of Johannesburg
- University of the North-West
- University of Pretoria
For more than a decade, PAMSA’s Masters students have been finding value in waste – turning by-products into sustainable solutions and expanding the circular bioeconomy.
Deadlines
- Early bird: 6 June 2025 (priority consideration)
- Final deadline: 27 June 2025
IMPORTANT APPLICATION CRITERIA
- You must be a final-year BEng/BSc Chemical Engineering student at a registered South African university or a graduate.
- You must have a minimum 60% average in your final year.
- You must have completed, or are on track to complete, your studies in five years or less.
- South African citizenship is preferred.
- Submit a CV, academic transcripts for each year, letters of reference, and motivation.
Applications that do not meet the above criteria will not be considered.
STUDENTS AND THEIR STORIES
Changing the value of waste
Meet Josh Nel, a chemical engineering student at the University of Stellenbosch. He applied for the waste valorisation option and has been learning about various methods of recycling plastic and paper waste ever since. His topic involves comparing the technical and economic feasibility of two valorisation techniques. The first technique is the reverse engineering/pyrolysis of a waste stream, mainly comprising plastic and paper, back into petrochemicals.
More than paper
As PAMSA sponsored M.Eng. students, Liezl van der Watt, Chelaine Maree and Qiniso Ngiba share their experiences and what their pieces of research entail. And yes, we agree, paper is cool!
Opening doors by making doors with mill waste
Eddie Barnard is currently in his second and final year of his Masters of Engineering. He has been focusing on the valorisation of pulp and paper mill waste. His end goal is to find uses for it in biocomposites with similar qualities of particle board. Examples of applications would be furniture and cupboard doors.
RESEARCH ARCHIVE
Masters students in PAMSA’s bursary and research programme have explored various aspects of the pulp and paper industry, including the tremendous value that can be generated by turning what was once regarded as waste into environmentally sustainable products.
View all publications here, and view our most recent publications below: